Fats Domino

• Born: 26 February 1928
• Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Best Known As: Early rock 'n' roll singer of "Blueberry Hill"

Antoine "Fats" Domino recorded dozens of top-40 hits between 1950 and 1966, including early feel-good rock 'n' roll classics "Blueberry Hill" and "Ain't That A Shame." Domino grew up in New Orleans and began performing on piano and singing when he was a child. He began recording in 1949 with bandleader Dave Bartholomew, who later became his writing and arranging partner on most of his biggest hits; their first tune together, "The Fat Man," was a hit in 1949. Despite being popular with black audiences and on top of the rhythm and blues charts in the early 1950s, it wasn't until white singer Pat Boone covered "Ain't That A Shame" that Fats became a national celebrity. One of the first big stars of rock 'n' roll, Fats had a distinctive sound based on a rhythmic piano style influenced by boogie-woogie. Although the hits stopped coming after the mid-1960s, Fats performed up until the 1980s, when he retired and settled in his hometown. His hits include "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday" and "Walkin' to New Orleans."

Pop singer Chubby Checker took his stage name as a play on Fats Domino... Pat Boone's version of "Ain't That A Shame" reached number one on the charts, but Domino's version only reached number 10... "Blueberry Hill" was a standard that had been a top hit for Glenn Miller in 1940... Domino went missing after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August of 2005. Days later, his daughter announced that she had seen news footage of Domino being rescued by boat and that he was presumed safe.

Fats Domino (born 1928) brought a unique blend of sounds to the rhythm and blues scene in the 1950s and 60s that appealed to a wide audience. His rendition of "The Fat Man," recorded in December of 1949, is considered by many to be the first rock-and-roll song ever. Domino continues to perform in his own nightclub in New Orleans, the city of his birth.

Born Antoine Domino Jr. on February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, he grew up in a large, musical family of nine children. He began his love affair with the piano at a very young age. Domino taught himself to play with help from his brother-in-law, Harrison Verrett, a local musician and well-regarded guitarist. He loved all the popular styles of music: boogie, ragtime, and blues. Domino left school in order to focus all of his energies on music.

Shortly after leaving school, Domino found a job at a local bedspring factory. He worked at the factory during the day and played music by night in local nightclubs. A mishap on his day job came very close to costing him his future in music. One of his hands was severely injured by a heavy spring, an injury that required multiple stitches. For a while, it was uncertain whether Domino would ever recover use of the hand for the piano. However, with sufficient exercise he was able to regain most of his previous use of that hand.

Discovered at Hideaway Club

One of Domino's nighttime jobs was at a New Orleans club called the Hideaway, where he earned three dollars a week. By the age of 19 he had become a fixture there, along with prominent New Orleans pianists such as Professor Longhair and Amos Milburn. Like them, Domino was inspired by the rich musical styles of New Orleans. It was here that he got his first big break. Lew Chudd, head of Los Angeles-based Imperial Records, was touring the city in search of promising new artists when he happened to catch Domino's act. Duly impressed, he quickly signed the young musician to a recording contract and paired him up with Dave Bartholomew of Imperial to write the song that became his signature number and established him forever as "Fats" in the mind of his fans. "The Fat Man," that drew heavily from a song entitled "Junkers Blues," was recorded in December 1949 in the J and M Studios of Cosimo Matassa, along with seven other tracks. The song became Domino's first big rhythm and blues hit and is considered by many music industry observers to be the first genuine rock and roll song ever recorded. Fred Ward, writing in Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll, said of Domino's first big hit: "What better song to introduce the young singer than the one he opened with… ." The record took off, Ward reported, "winning Imperial some prominence in the rhythm-and-blues world and, more important, on its charts.

Chudd's Imperial recording label, which focused on unknown rhythm and blues talent from the Deep South, had experienced rapid growth in the years following the end of World War II. Bartholomew, a prominent trumpet player and composer, became Domino's producer and bandleader for most of the 1950s and 60s and co-wrote virtually all of the performer's best-known hits. Bartholomew, who remained closely involved with Domino well into the 1980s, was a trained musician who perfectly complemented Domino's unschooled but brilliant musical instincts. Domino never learned to read music. He once described to Irwin Stambler, author of The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock, and Soul, how he and Bartholomew collaborated on their now-famous songs: "When I get an idea for a song, I sit down at that piano [in his special music room in his home] and sing it into the tape. Then I've got it so I can talk with Dave about it. Dave works on all my recordings and on my band arrangements, and we're together a lot of the time."

Several hits followed "The Fat Man." These included "Rockin' Chair," "You Done me Wrong," "Please Don't Leave Me," and the 1952 hit, "Goin Home." The latter reached number one on the rhythm and blues charts in 1952. Domino dominated the R and B charts with these and other releases from 1952 to 1959. In 1954 Domino impressed audiences at the Moondog Jubilee of Stars Under the Stars, promoted by famed disk jockey Alan Freed, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. Other entertainers performing at Moondog Jubilee included Muddy Waters, Little Walter, the Orioles, and the Clovers.

Took Rock and Roll by Storm

Domino took the rock and roll scene by storm in 1955 when he released "Ain't That a Shame," a song that had been previously popularized by cowboy movie star, Gene Autry. His success with the recording of this song was somewhat overshadowed by Pat Boone's "cover" version of the same song. Although Domino's version hit number one on the R and B charts, it made it only to number ten on the pop charts for this reason. White record producers in the 1950s were quick to pick up on the popularity of rhythm and blues for its white singers. However, Domino and collaborator Bartholomew shared in the royalties of Boone's recording. It was with this hit that Domino crossed over from R and B to the pops charts.

Other Domino songs that rose to the top of the R and B charts in 1955 included "All by Myself" and "Poor Me." That same year, Imperial Records cut his first long-playing (LP) album. Entitled "Rock and Rollin' With Fats Domino," the album was released on March 1, 1956. Among his big hits in 1956 were "I'm in Love Again," "My Blue Heaven," "Blue Monday," and "Blueberry Hill," Domino's version of a song first made popular by Louis Armstrong. In July of 1956, "I'm in Love Again" hit the top of the R and B charts and climbed to number three on the pop charts. At year's end, "Blueberry Hill" topped out at number two on the pop charts, having already occupied the top spot on the R and B charts for 11 straight weeks. Domino's success in the mid-1950s made him a fixture in most of the period's touring rock and roll shows. In early 1957, Domino got top billing in the three-month "Biggest Show of Stars for '57," a tour that also featured such popular rock and R and B performers as Chuck Berry, Laverne Baker, Clyde McPhatter, and the Moonglows. Gene Busnar, author of It's Rock'n' Roll, explained Domino's success on the pop charts this way: "Most of Fats' songs were less raw and sexually explicit than most other blues-based singers. He was, therefore, more acceptable to the pop audience."

Debut in Films

Hoping to expand his horizons, Domino looked to Hollywood. He first appeared with Big Joe Turner in Shake, Rattle, and Roll, singing three of his big hits. In 1957 he appeared in The Girl Can't Help It, a rock and roll movie that is still considered by many to be the best ever made. The film featured Domino singing his big hit, "Blue Monday." Other motion pictures in which Domino appeared included Jamboree and The Big Beat.

Other Domino songs that fared well on the pop charts included "I'm Walkin'," which made it to number four in April of 1957; "I Want to Walk You Home," climbing to number eight the week of September 14, 1959; and "Walking to New Orleans," which made it into the top ten on the pop charts in mid-1960. "Walking to New Orleans," which climbed to number two on the R and B charts, was the last of Domino's songs to hit the top ten on the pop charts.

In April of 1963, Domino left the Imperial label after nearly 14 years to sign with ABC-Paramount. For ABC-Paramount, he had a modest hit with "Red Sails in the Sunset." He switched labels fairly often in the 1960s, recording also on the Mercury and Reprise labels. In 1968 Domino released his version of "Lady Madonna" on the Reprise label. Written by Paul McCartney for the Beatles in a style reminiscent of Domino's, the song was given the full New Orleans treatment in Domino's cover version. It was the last of Domino's songs to make it onto Billboard's Top 100 Pop Singles chart. When recording industry executives began pressuring Domino to update his style in order to appeal to changing musical tastes, he quit recording altogether. Interviewed by Hans J. Massaquoi of Ebony, Domino explained, "I refused to change. I had to stick to my own style that I've always used, or it just wouldn't be me."

Focused on Personal Appearances

With his recording career at least temporarily terminated, Domino began concentrating most of his energies on public appearances, focusing in particular on Las Vegas. He signed a long-term contract with the Flamingo Hotel and Casino but soon got himself into trouble gambling during his off-hours. He got started on the slots but soon graduated to playing craps. According to Massaquoi of Ebony, Domino gambled away about two million dollars over a ten-year period. It took the performer a while to admit that he had a serious problem with gambling. However, he eventually took steps to wean himself away from the craps tables, a goal Domino claimed to have reached by 1972.

On January 23, 1986, Domino was formally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its first induction dinner, held in New York City. Presenting Domino with a plaque marking his selection for this honor was popular singer/pianist Billy Joel. It seemed altogether fitting that Domino was among the first to be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, considering that he had sold more records - some 65 million - than any other Fifties-era rocker except Elvis Presley. The following year, Domino received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1991, EMI-owner of the Imperial label's music catalog released a boxed set of Domino's greatest hits. Domino returned to the recording studio two years later - the first time he'd done so in a quarter-century. The recording session produced an album entitled Christmas is a Special Day, released on the EMI/Right Stuff label on November 1, 1993. Interviewed during the recording session, Domino looked back on his long and rewarding career, saying: "People don't know what they've done for me. They always tell me, 'Oh, Fats, thanks for so many years of good music.' And I'll be thankin' them before they're finished thankin' me!"

In March of 1995, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation of Washington, D.C., honored Domino. As one of the recipients of the foundation's annual Pioneer Awards, he was given the Ray Charles Lifetime Achievement Award. This foundation honors those who create "an art form that is a fountainhead for contemporary popular music and a lifeblood of American culture." Other recipients of these awards included the Moonglows, the Marvelettes, Inez and Charlie Foxx, and Cissy Houston. That same year Domino toured Great Britain with fellow rock artists James Brown and Chuck Berry. However, the trip was cut short when the 67-year-old Domino was hospitalized for an infection and exhaustion.

Domino and his wife, Rosemary, continue to live in New Orleans, the city of the singer's birth. They have raised eight children - Antoinette, Antoine III, Andrea, Andre, Anatole, Anola, Adonica, and Antonio. Domino still performs occasionally at his club in the city's French Quarter.

Books

Busnar, Gene, It's Rock'n' Roll, Messner, 1979.

Contemporary Musicians, Gale Research, 1989.

Ward, Ed, Geoffrey Stokes, and Ken Tucker. Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll, Summit Books, 1986.

Periodicals

Billboard, January 28, 1995.

Time, May 29, 1995.

Online

"Fats Domino," Chuck Berry-Mr. Rock and Roll, http://www.chuckberry.de/fatsdomino.htm (November 4, 2001).

"Fats Domino-Biography," Yahoo! Music, http://musicfinder.yahoo.com (November 4, 2001).

"Fats Domino: Performer," Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=91 (November 4, 2001).

rock singer; pianist; composer

Personal Information

Born Antoine Domino, February 26, 1928, in New Orleans, LA; married Rosemary; children: Antoinette, Antoine III, Andrea, Andre, Anatole, Anola, Adonica, Antonio.
Religion: Roman Catholic.

Career

Pianist, singer, and songwriter. Worked in a bedspring factory to support himself as a young man; nightclub entertainer, New Orleans, late 1940s; joined forces with trumpeter and bandleader Dave Bartholomew, 1949; signed with Imperial Records, 1950; released single "The Fat Man," 1950; broke through to wide rock and roll audience with "Ain't That a Shame," 1955; series of top-selling single and album releases, 1955-63; extensive concert career through 1980s, including many apperances in Las Vegas; European tours, 1970s and 1980s; released holiday album Christmas Is a Special Day, 1993.

Life's Work

A genial and prolific musician, Fats Domino was the most commercially successful of a long line of New Orleans rhythm-and- blues pianists and vocal performers. Coming to prominence at the dawn of rock and roll in the middle 1950s, Domino is often named as one of that music's originators and classic figures. He was a gifted and entirely self-taught composer who parlayed his multiple talents into a long period of popularity with music fans of all races, and he stands perhaps as the most enthusiastic exponent of the Crescent City's great musical tradition.

Fats Domino was born Antoine Domino on February 26, 1928, in New Orleans, one of nine children. His father played the violin, and a relative, Harrison Verrett, was a well-known New Orleans guitarist who would later become a fixture of Fats's band. Verrett taught him to play the piano at the age of nine by means of instructional marks written on a piano's keys, and within a few years Domino immersed himself in music, quitting school at age 14 to work by day and play piano in the city's bars and small clubs by night. His career was almost cut short by a hand injury sustained in a bedspring-factory accident, but he recovered. At some time during his early career, his five-foot-five-inch, two-hundred-pound frame gave rise to the nickname "Fats."

Domino cut his teeth as a performer in the midst of rich pianistic and vocal traditions; he likely heard and performed with such legends as Professor Longhair and Amos Milburn as a young man. He mastered a variety of piano styles, developed an infectious vocal style that avoided the hard-edged intensity of some of his bluesier contemporaries, and began to write songs. By 1949 he had a regular slot at a club called the Hideaway, where the influential New Orleans trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Dave Bartholomew heard Domino play a blues of his own creation called "The Fat Man": the lyric opened with the lines, "They call me the Fat Man/'Cause I weigh two hundred pounds." Bartholomew had connections with the fast-growing independent West Coast record label Imperial, and the two musicians recorded Bartholomew's arrangement of "The Fat Man" in 1950. By 1953 it was claimed to have sold one million copies.

Imperial was one of the many upstart labels that after World War II experienced rapid growth, seizing market share from the "majors" by searching out and recording local rhythm-and-blues and country talent, primarily in the South and Southwest. Domino followed up "The Fat Man" with a string of other rhythm-and-blues hits, including "Rockin' Chair," "Please Don't Leave Me," and "Goin' Home," which reached number one on rhythm-and-blues charts in 1952. When the rock and roll phenomenon exploded in 1955 with the introduction of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry to a mass audience, Imperial was ready with its own star. Domino's easygoing style blunted the antagonism that some black performers experienced, and his sparkling piano work competed successfully with, and still differentiated itself from, that of keyboard wizard Jerry Lee Lewis.

It was no surprise that Domino's "Ain't That a Shame" went to the number 16 position on the pop charts in 1955. The record's pop chart position actually understated its popularity and influence, for Domino's recording was eclipsed by white vocalist Pat Boone's "cover" version of the song; quickly dispatching white performers to cover rising rhythm-and-blues hits was a favorite technique employed by white record executives intent on containing growing African American influence in the 1950s. Domino and Bartholomew at least shared composer's royalties for sales and airplay of Boone's record.

"I'm in Love Again" and "Blueberry Hill" (a 1930s Gene Autry movie- cowboy hit earlier covered by Domino's New Orleans compatriot Louis Armstrong) did even better on the pop charts the following year, reaching the pop Top Ten. For the next seven years Domino enjoyed a long string of hits that reached high chart levels. Many of them--- "I'm Walkin'," "Walkin' to New Orleans," and "I Want to Walk You Home" among them---are among rock and roll's canon of classics, part of the repertoire of many a cover band.

"Ain't That a Shame" offers a good example of the style that made Domino so popular. Based on rhythmic figures simple enough to be instantly memorable, yet subtle in the way that only the Caribbean- leaning musicians of New Orleans could make them, the song showcased Domino's pleasant Louisiana drawl. Its refrain ("Ain't that a shame--my tears fell like rain ...") offered a hint of rueful humor and a romantic theme that avoided the raw sexuality present in the lyrics of some of Domino's contemporaries. Bartholomew's arrangement displayed the tight horn section of Domino's talented band to maximum advantage.

The creative partnership of Domino and Bartholomew deserves notice in the realm of composition as well, for the pair wrote virtually all of Domino's major hits. They had a fixed working method, described by Domino and quoted by Irwin Stambler, author of the Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul: "When I get an idea for a song, I sit down at that piano [in his special music room in his home] and sing it into the tape. Then I've got it so I can talk with Dave about it. Dave works on all my recordings and on my band arrangements and we're together a lot of the time." Domino never learned to read music, and into the 1980s Bartholomew was still closely involved in his career.

Domino's string of hits was brought to an end by the influx of British rock music that began with the Beatles in 1963 and 1964, and by the innovations of American black musicians who responded to the "British Invasion" with creative new styles in such centers as Detroit and Memphis. He returned briefly to the public eye with a cover of the Beatles' "Lady Madonna" in 1968, but otherwise contented himself with indefatigable touring; his performances were notable for the way they kept to Domino's original style and sound, offering listeners a glimpse of his New Orleans-based music in its purest form. He became a successful fixture of Nevada's casinos, toured Europe (where he had always enjoyed immense popularity) several times in the late 1970s and 1980s, and in 1993 released a holiday album, Christmas Is a Special Day. He claimed that he was not making a comeback, since he had never stopped performing.

On tour in England with fellow legends James Brown and Chuck Berry in 1995, Domino was hospitalized for exhaustion and infection, and there were signs that his health was beginning to decline. But honors began to flow his way, most notably a Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1995 and a National Medal for the Arts bestowed by President Bill Clinton in 1998. That year, Domino told the Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Advocate that he was at work on an album of new material. He seemed to be living up to the epitaph that writer Peter Guralnick, quoting New Orleans studio owner and Domino associate Cosimo Matassa, had proposed in The New Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: "Domino, he was creative." His creativity has permanently enriched the popular music traditions of his city and his nation.

Awards

More than 20 gold records; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1986; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 1987; Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, 1995; National Medal for the Arts, 1998.

Works

Selective Discography

• Fats Domino--Rock and Rollin', Imperial, 1956.
• This Is Fats Domino, Imperial, 1956.
• Here Stands Fats Domino, Imperial, 1957.
• Fabulous Mr. D, Imperial, 1958.
• Let's Play Fats Domino, Imperial, 1959.
• Fats Domino Sings, Imperial, 1960.
• I Miss You So, Imperial, 1961.
• Twistin' the Stomp, Imperial, 1962.
• Fats Is Back, Reprise, 1968.
• Legendary Masters Series, United Artists, 1972.
• They Call Me the Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings, EMI, 1990.
• Christmas Is a Special Day, EMI, 1993.

Further Reading

Books

• Contemporary Musicians, Volume 2, Gale, 1990.
• Guralnick, Peter, "Fats Domino," in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll, Random House, 1992.
• Hitchcock, H. Wiley, and Stanley Sadie, eds., The New Grove Dictionary of American Music, Macmillan, 1986.
• Romanowski, Patricia, and Holly George-Warren, eds., The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Fireside, 1995.
• Stambler, Irwin, The Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock & Soul, rev. ed., St. Martin's, 1989.

Periodicals

• Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA), October 29, 1998, p. B4.
• Billboard, January 28, 1995, p. 14.
• Jet, April 3, 1995, p. 34.
• Playboy, January 1992, p. 17.
• Time, May 29, 1995, p. 17.

— James M. Manheim

Quotes:

"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B. A., M. D., or Ph. D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J. O. B."

See Fats Domino Lyrics

• Born: February 26, 1928, New Orleans, LA
• Active: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
• Genres: Rhythm & Blues
• Instrument: Vocals, Piano, Songwriter
• Representative Albums: "Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans," "Fats Domino Jukebox: 20 Greatest Hits the Way You Originally Heard Them," "My Blue Heaven: The Best of Fats Domino"
• Representative Songs: "Blueberry Hill," "Ain't That a Shame," "I'm Walkin'"

Biography

The most popular exponent of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, Fats Domino sold more records than any other black rock & roll star of the 1950s. His relaxed, lolling boogie-woogie piano style and easygoing, warm vocals anchored a long series of national hits from the mid-'50s to the early '60s. Through it all, his basic approach rarely changed. He may not have been one of early rock's most charismatic, innovative, or threatening figures, but he was certainly one of its most consistent.

Domino's first single, "The Fat Man" (1949), is one of the dozens of tracks that have been consistently singled out as a candidate for the first rock & roll record. As far as Fats was concerned, he was just playing what he'd already been doing in New Orleans for years, and would continue to play and sing in pretty much the same fashion even after his music was dubbed "rock & roll."

The record made number two on the R&B charts, and sold a million copies. Just as important, it established a vital partnership between Fats and Imperial A&R man Dave Bartholomew. Bartholomew, himself a trumpeter, would produce Domino's big hits, co-writing many of them with Fats. He would also usually employ New Orleans session greats like Alvin Tyler on sax and Earl Palmer on drums -- musicians who were vital in establishing New Orleans R&B as a distinct entity, playing on many other local recordings as well (including hits made in New Orleans by Georgia native Little Richard).

Domino didn't cross over into the pop charts in a big way until 1955, when "Ain't That a Shame" made the Top Ten. Pat Boone's cover of the song stole some of Fats' thunder, going all the way to number one (Boone was also bowdlerizing Little Richard's early singles for pop hits during this time). Domino's long-range prospects weren't damaged, however; between 1955 and 1963, he racked up an astonishing 35 Top 40 singles. "Blueberry Hill" (1956) was probably his best (and best-remembered) single; "Walking to New Orleans," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I'm Walking," "Blue Monday," and "I'm in Love Again" were also huge successes.

After Fats left Imperial for ABC-Paramount in 1963, he would only enter the Top 40 one more time. The surprise was not that Fats fell out of fashion, but that he'd maintained his popularity so long while the essentials of his style remained unchanged. This was during an era, remember, when most of rock's biggest stars had their careers derailed by death or scandal, or were made to soften up their sound for mainstream consumption. Although an active performer in the ensuing decades, his career as an important artist was essentially over in the mid-'60s. He did stir up a bit of attention in 1968 when he covered the Beatles' "Lady Madonna" single, which had been an obvious homage to Fats' style. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Only the Best of Fats Domino Buy this CD	Fats Domino [Platinum] Buy this CD	Going Home Buy this CD	Fats Domino [Timeless] Buy this CD	Blueberry Hill: The Very Best of Fats Domino in Concert Buy this CD
Great Fats Domino: In Concert Buy this CD	Fats Rocks Buy this CD	Gold Collection [Fine Tune] Buy this CD	Platinum [Capitol] Buy this CD	Fat Man Sings [EMI] Buy this CD

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• Born: Feb 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Occupation: Actor
• Active: '50s, '70s-'80s
• Major Genres: Music, Musical
• Career Highlights: Fats Domino: Live! - At the Universal Ampitheatre, Let the Good Times Roll, Jamboree
• First Major Screen Credit: Shake, Rattle and Rock (1957)

Biography

Born Antoine Domino, black blues singer Fats Domino first appeared onscreen in 1956. ~ All Movie Guide

Fats Domino & Friends: Immortal Keyboards of Rock & Roll Buy this Movie	A Tribute to Ricky Nelson Buy this Movie	Fats Domino: Live! - At the Universal Ampitheatre Buy this Movie	Any Which Way You Can Buy this Movie
The Monkees: 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee Buy this Movie	Shake, Rattle and Rock Buy this Movie	Jamboree Buy this Movie	The Girl Can't Help It Buy this Movie

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